


that time the college kids set off the fire alarms at 3 am

by izzimb



Series: that time buckynat got to be happy [1]
Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Modern au! Kinda thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-07-24 12:59:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7509208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/izzimb/pseuds/izzimb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You're lookin' a little chilly," murmured a gravelly, most-definitely-sleepy voice beside her. A jacket was dropped onto her shoulders, still warm from its previous inhabitant.<br/>"I'm James," he sighed, scratching the back of his neck.<br/>"Natasha," she said, extending her arm from the baggy jacket. The shoulder slipped off her own.<br/>He shook her hand firmly but quickly, reaching down to catch the jacket. "Nice to meet you. Couldn't help but notice you were shivering a little; couldn't let a lady go cold."</p>
            </blockquote>





	that time the college kids set off the fire alarms at 3 am

**Author's Note:**

> honestly I saw a tumblr prompt and rewrote this three times before I gave up so

All she wanted was a bath. It had been three hours, two refills, and one bottle of wine, but she got the bath. Natasha was able to slip into her pajamas and pull back her sheets before promptly being scared to shit by the fire alarm going off. She muttered to herself, thankful that, at the very least, she wasn't already in bed. Slipping into some flip-flops, she rushed out the door, grabbing her cell phone on the way out.

 

Sleepy, grumbly neighbors scurried their way down the hallways and into the stairwell. Natasha recognized Mia, the nine-year-old ballerina whose father frequently had her babysat while he went into the city. Natasha quite liked the little girl and brought her cookies whenever she could. She held a teddy bear under her arm while her dad carried her outside.

 

The crowd winced from the shrill alarm and jostled each other around while congregating in the parking lot beside the building. There was no overpowering odor of smoke, nor was the glow of real flames illuminating any windows on the sides of the buildings. Natasha concluded someone must have burnt their popcorn.

 

She yawned as she scanned the crowd and became distinctly aware of the feeling of someone's eyes on her. She turned, but no one caught her eyes. Suddenly—

 

"You're lookin' a little chilly," murmured a gravelly, most-definitely-sleepy voice beside her. A jacket was dropped onto her shoulders, still warm from its previous inhabitant.

 

She touched the jacket instinctively, swivelling to meet the eyes of the stranger. His exhausted eyes met hers, albeit shyly. His disheveled hair was swept back—yanked, more likely by the tension and unevenness—into a ponytail of sorts. A sheepish grin lifted the corner of his mouth. Natasha became aware of a blush creeping into her neck and face.

 

"I'm James," he sighed, scratching the back of his neck.  
"Natasha," she said, extending her arm from the baggy jacket. The shoulder slipped off her own.  
He shook her hand firmly but quickly, reaching down to catch the jacket. "Nice to meet you. Couldn't help but notice you were shivering a little; couldn't let a lady go cold."  
"How sweet," she mused. She realized how awful she was at small talk. "You have any idea 'bout what's happening?"  
"Think the college kids on the third floor were messing with their fire alarm. They've been trying to hotbox their damn flat but they can't do it unless they disable the fire alarm. They're idiots though, you can't disarm one without setting it off." He sighed, turning away before yawning.  
"It's three in the morning," she scoffed, "what valid reason is there to hotbox an apartment at three A.M.?"  
James shrugged. "It's finals week."  
Natasha laughed. "I remember finals week. Worst weeks of my life in college."  
"Yeah, rough times." He chuckled, flashing a toothy smile. He looked past Natasha's head, watching the crowd begin to sit down on the sidewalks and curbs as they tired from standing. "Hey, let's get a seat before we're stuck standing the whole time."

 

Natasha followed him toward the thinning end of the crowd. He brushed some gravel away from the sidewalk and offered the seat to her. She sat, but not unwillingly. She tried not to think of her legs touching bare cement with bugs crawling along it. James sank beside her. The fire truck parked across the street with little urgency; their lights were running but they came with no sirens. Firefighters walked into the building.

 

"What floor is your room on?" she asked him with a yawn.  
"Second, I'm across the hall and below the aforementioned college kids."  
"Sounds like a fun party."  
"Yours?"  
"Fourth," she replied, "at the west end of the building."  
He nodded. "The newer ones. Have you lived here a while? I'm sorry, I just don't think I've ever seen you around."  
"It's been a year or so."  
"Huh. Same for me."

 

Natasha had no idea how to continue the conversation. Maybe it was the exhaustion or maybe the cold getting to her, but she began to let her eyes wander. She watched James' shoulders rise and fall and the fabric of his white cotton shirt stretch with every breath. He was muscular, so much so that every curve of his arms was defined even in the dim glow of the streetlamps. He wore grey sweat pants with socks tucked into the ankles. She chuckled softly at the athletic slider slippers. Then again, she was wearing a Wal-mart pajama set with rabbits on it.

 

Finally, people started to flow back into the building. James bit his lip, helping Natasha stand. She crossed her arms, feebly attempting to hold in the warmth James' jacket temporarily gave her. Once in the lobby, they took the stairs thanks to the crowd beginning to line up at the elevators.

 

"So, my apartment is 214, if you ever need anything, though I'm sure you're settled in quite well," James said as they neared his floor.  
"I'll remember," Natasha said. She slipped the jacket, handing it back to him. "Thank you. For the jacket. And, well, your apartment, I guess. I'm in 406."  
He smiled and leaned against the wall beside the door. Natasha stood square in front of him, not quite looking him in the eyes. "I hope to see you soon, Natasha."  
"Likewise, James."  
He reached his hand out to her. "Bucky." He laughed slightly. "You can call me Bucky."  
She smiled, a little wider, despite her growing sleepiness. "Alright. Good night, Bucky."  
"Good night. Stay warm, Natasha."


End file.
